Just Another Typical Night In Vegas
by Traci
Summary: A typical case for the CSI team could result in the loss of one of their own.


Disclaimer: Mine, mine, all mine!!!  NO?  Fine!  They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer (doesn't he own enough on TV right now to let me have these guys???) and uh…well…whoever else is involved with the show.

Rating:  PG

Category:  Case, hurt/comfort, G/C friendship/UST

Spoilers:  None major.  References to the pilot ep, Eddie (re. what happened in 'Lady Heather's Box), etc.  But no majorly specific ones.

Author:  Traci

Archiving and Feedback:  Yes to archiving, just let me know where please.  Feedback welcome at traci_ann@yahoo.com

Summary:  A typical case for the CSI team could result in the loss of one of their own.

Author's notes:  Darn it… this was supposed to be a short, slightly funny fluff piece… didn't happen that way.  Hate when stories write themselves.  Oh, and I believe I may have taken some medical liberties so if I did just please accept them as fiction and nothing more.  Oh, and as was pointed out to me, while Rabies is not common in some parts of the world it is still alive and well here in the States – you'll understand this when you get to it.

Thanks once again to Tracy for encouraging and letting me bounce ideas off her – and telling me if they sounded stupid or not hehe.

Just Another Typical Night In Vegas 

Catherine Willows pulled her SUV up to the police tape and looked to Warrick Brown.  "Just another typical night in Vegas," she commented as they exited the vehicle.

They showed an officer their badges identifying themselves as Crime Scene Investigators and he lifted the tape for them.

A dark-haired man approached them.

"Hey Nick," Catherine said.  "What's the case?"

"Multiple shooting victims.  Grissom's around back in the alley.  There are two bodies there," Nick Stokes told them.  "Three more are inside the house."  He turned to Warrick.  "You're inside.  Sara's already processing the scene."  To Catherine, he said, "Grissom wants you back there with him."

She nodded and the three went their own way.

Stepping over numerous trash items, Catherine found her boss and friend hunched over one of the two bodies.  "So how is life in the alley these days?"

"Not good," Gil Grissom responded without looking up at her.  "Unless you're a rat that is."  He sat back on his heals and smiled up at her.  

She cringed at the sight of the rat-eaten body.  "Lovely."  Placing her silver box down, she opened it and pulled on latex gloves.  "What happened?"

"Someone driving by heard a number of shots and called from his cell phone.  No one was alive when the police arrived.  Have you been inside the house yet?"

"No."  She shook her head and crouched down beside Grissom.  "Nick told me to head back here first."  Taking a closer look at the body, she was able to determine it was a male of approximately twenty years of age.  "Nick said there were two victims back here?"

Grissom nodded.  "The other is in the dumpster.  Both appear to have been shot numerous times.  This one became a buffet for the rats."

Making a disgusted face, Catherine stood up and walked over to the dumpster.  Turning on her flashlight, she stood on her tiptoes to look in.  She yelped when something jumped out and all she could feel was a deep, sharp pain on her arm.

Grissom ran over to her and grabbed the cause of her pain.

A cat.

A large, foaming-at-the-mouth alley cat.

"Catherine?  Are you alright?" he asked, trying to hold the cat without getting attacked himself.

"Yeah, I think so."

Three officers ran over to them.  One of them grabbed an empty box lying in the alley and shoved the cat into it.

Grissom gently pulled Catherine's hand off of her arm then turned to one of the officers.  "Make sure that cat doesn't escape.  We need an ambulance."

"Gil, I'm fine," she stated then looked at her arm.  Since she had been wearing a tank top, there had been nothing to protect her from the cat.  Blood streamed down from the deep scratches and bites.  "Maybe a bandage or two wouldn't hurt," she admitted quietly so only he could hear.

"Cath, that cat…"

Her eyes met his and she knew it wasn't going to be good.  "Rabies?"

He nodded.  Letting go of her only long enough to grab a few emergency bandages from his case, he returned and wrapped them around her arm to contain the bleeding until the ambulance arrived.  He then led her around to the front of the house.

"We heard a scream…" Sara Sidle stopped.  "Catherine, are you alright?"

"Cat attack," Grissom told her before Catherine could answer.

"I'll be fine," she said, smiling at the younger woman.

"Sara, can you go around back and finish processing the scene there?  Take a couple of officers with you too.  The cat was rabid so who knows how many others are back there."

Her eyes widened.  "Rabid?"  She looked to Catherine once again.

"They'll give me a few shots and I'll be as good as new."  She tried to sound reassuring but the pain in her arm was intensifying.

Unconvinced, Sara slowly nodded and recruited two officers to go to the alley with her. 

The ambulance arrived seconds later and they rushed Catherine over to it.  One officer carried the box with the cat.

"We'll need it for testing," one of the EMT's told the officer.

"It's still alive in there," the officer warned him, handing the box over.

He nodded and grabbed a roll of duct tape, taping the lid securely closed.

Meanwhile, the other EMT was washing Catherine's injuries.  Grissom stood in front of where she sat. 

"Gil, go help Sara.  I'm in good hands now."  She tried to smile but the pain came through instead.

"They can handle this one themselves.  I want to make sure you're really going to be alright."  He looked at the EMT.  "The cat was foaming."

He nodded.  "We always treat these cases as the worst case scenario just in case.  But having the cat will certainly be a great help."  Finishing with the bandaging, he handed Catherine two Tylenol.  "It'll help the pain.  You need to get to the hospital and you have two options."  He smiled.  "You can either ride with us in the ambulance or have someone," he continued, giving a quick nod in Grissom's direction, "drive you there."

Grissom looked worried.  "Shouldn't she go with you?  What if something happens?"

"The hospital's not that far and generally nothing happens in cat attack cases unless the victim is allergic to cats."  

Catherine shook her head.

"Then either way is fine."

Catherine and Grissom looked at each other.  

"It's up to you," he said.

"You're going with me either way?"

He nodded.

"Then you may as well drive me."

The EMT nodded and handed her a report he had filled out.  "We'll call it in as well but give this to the nurse when you get there.  We'll take the cat to a nearby vet and the tests will be done on it there."

Standing up, Catherine swayed a little and Grissom wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.  "You sure you're okay?"

Even the EMT looked concerned.

"Yeah.  Just a little sore in the arm."

The EMT looked at Grissom.  "Get her there right away."

He nodded and led Catherine to his truck.

**************************

"Hey, Sara, what happened?"  Warrick looked intently around the scene as he approached her and the two officers in the alley.

"A rabid cat attacked Catherine.  Grissom went with her to the hospital."

"What?  Is she alright?"

Sara straightened slowly after being hunched over the rat-eaten victim for so long.  Her eyes met his.  "She said she is but you know her."

He smiled.  "Stubborn as they come when she wants to be.  Need help back here?  Nick's got the inside covered at this point."

"I haven't gotten to the body in the dumpster yet."  As he walked over, she added, "But be careful.  That's where the cat was hiding."

He stopped for a moment then approached more slowly.  One of the officers accompanied him and together they cautiously shined a flashlight inside, being sure to keep back.  Neither heard anything and nothing jumped out so Warrick leaned over.

"It's clear," he said then made a face at the site of the body there.  While not mauled by rats, it had been more than bullets that had taken him down.  The left arm was nearly severed off and there was a look of sheer terror on his face.

Warrick carefully began the process of bagging each piece of trash around the body as possible evidence.

************************

Grissom stood beside Catherine's bed as they waited for a doctor in the Emergency Room.  

"You really don't have to be here, you know," she told him.

"Someone has to make sure you don't walk out of here without seeing a doctor," he teased.  "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was attacked by a tiger."  

He smiled.  "I take it the pain medication hasn't kicked in yet."

"Nope, not at all."

The curtain swooshed open and an elderly man in a lab coat walked over.  "I'm Doctor Sulter."  He looked over at Grissom.  "Are you her husband?"

Catherine fought not to laugh.

"No."

"Then you can't be here," he told him.

"Doctor," Catherine began.  "He's like family.  I want him to be here."

He thought for a moment then, with a big sigh, agreed.

The look she gave Grissom told him he'd have to pay for that one.

"The tests came back on the cat," the doctor told her. 

"And?"

"Positive for rabies."  He hesitated.  "Positive for feline aids.  Positive for a lot of things."

Catherine paled, as did Grissom.

"Basically what I'm saying is we have to begin aggressive treatment immediately."

"How sick can she get?" Grissom asked.

"Feline aids cannot be transmitted to humans but it can make someone very sick.  Rabies we will start with right away.  As for everything else…  Ms. Willows, I'm afraid that even with all the antibiotics we will be giving you, you will probably be very sick for a few days at least."

Instinctively, Grissom took hold of Catherine's hand and held it tightly.

"Could I…"  She took a deep breath to steady her voice.  "Is there a chance…"

The doctor nodded sympathetically.  "There's always a chance of death.  However, you got here quickly and we were able to examine the cat so the chances of that are greatly reduced."

She swallowed hard, trying to stop the tears.  

"A nurse will be right in to start the rabies treatment.  I'll get the paperwork started to admit you for the next few days."

She looked up at Grissom when the doctor left.  The seriousness of the situation sank in even more upon seeing the fear in his eyes.  "Lindsey."

"She's at your sisters, right?"

"Yeah."  

"Then don't worry about her.  I'll go over and talk to her in person and will bring her here as soon as you're allowed visitors."

She squeezed his hand.  "The night seemed just like any other night," she whispered.

He forced a smile.  "Everything will be alright, Cath."

*******************************

Grissom was waiting in his office by the time Nick, Warrick and Sara returned from the crime scene.  They crowded into his office.

"How's Catherine?" Warrick asked.

Sara, meanwhile, picked up on the concern etched across his face.  "It was just a cat, right?"

When Grissom did not respond, Nick spoke.  "Grissom?  You're scaring us here."

"The cat had rabies."

"We knew that," Sara said.  "But that can be treated."

Warrick studied Grissom's face.  "That's not all it had, is it?"

Shaking his head, Grissom continued.  "It also tested positive for feline AIDS and numerous other things."

"Oh geez."  Warrick turned around, running his hands over his face, before turning back.  "She's going to be alright though, right?"

This time Grissom nodded.  "They think so."

"They think so?" Nick asked.

"The doctor admitted her to the hospital.  I just left there.  He told us that she will most likely be very sick, dangerously sick for a few days.  And there is the possibility that… that she could…"  He just could not bring himself to say it.

"She won't," Sara informed them.  "She's too strong."

The group remained silent for a moment.

"What about Lindsey?" Warrick asked.

"I'm going over to Catherine's sister's now to talk to her.  I'll take her over to the hospital in the morning."

Nick sighed.  "I don't get it.  We deal with killers everyday and it takes a cat, a stupid alley cat to…"

"We did lose Holly to a killer," Warrick quietly reminded him.

He nodded.

"What do you have on the case so far?" Grissom asked trying to take their minds off Catherine for the moment.

"Two, maybe three shooters," Sara told him.  "Greg is running the ballistic tests right now.  He figures we should have the results in an hour or so.  He's rushing it for us."

"Any names?"

Warrick shook his head.  "Prints are still running but nothing matched so far.  All the victims appear to be in their late teens to early twenties though."

Just then Greg knocked at the door.  "How's…" He hesitated upon seeing the serious faces.  "How's Catherine?"

"She's alright for the time.  We'll know more in a few days," Grissom told him.

He nodded slowly.

"Do you have something for us?" Nick asked.

"Huh?  Oh, yeah."  He handed each one set of papers.  "There were three guns used, that's not to say it was three killers mind you.  Two guns contained police-issued bullets and the third…"  He stopped.

"Police killing bullets," Grissom finished as he read the report.

"Yeah.  I'm running the bullets against what we have in our database.  Should have something back soon."

"Nick, you and Sara get down to the autopsy.  I want to know exactly how each victim died."  Grissom never looked up from the report.

They followed Greg out the door.

Warrick remained seated in the office in silence.  "Griss?"

"I want you to lead this investigation," he finally said.

"Me?  What about you?"  He knew the answer as soon as the question left his mouth.  "You're not telling us everything, are you?"

Grissom's eyes met his.  "I told you all I know at the moment."

"Then you're afraid the doctor isn't telling you everything."

His non-response was answer enough.

Warrick breathed deeply then stood up.  "I'll take care of things here.  Catherine and Lindsey need you more at the moment.  Don't worry about a thing."

"I'll be in the office…"

"Grissom, I mean it.  You always tell us that when we are at work our concentration needs to be here fully.  The same applies to you."  His eyes dared him to argue.

Not being used to having his own words thrown back at him, Grissom remained silent.  "You're right," he conceded.  "But I still have to show up at work to keep my job."

Warrick smiled.  "Then we will cover for you.  But you concentrate on making sure Catherine gets the best care available.  We can't afford to lose her and I know it would destroy her little girl."

With that, Warrick left Grissom alone in his office.

************************

Having called ahead, Catherine's sister, Nancy, was waiting at the door when Grissom pulled up.  She quietly closed the door behind her and met him in the driveway.

"I haven't woken her yet."

He could tell from the puffiness of her eyes that she had been crying.  

"What happened?" she softly asked.

"We were working a crime scene in an alley when a cat attacked her.  It was in the later stages of rabies…"

She choked on a sob.

"It was a very sick cat.  They've already started the treatments on Catherine…"  Before he could continue, she wrapped her arms around him and cried. 

"I can't lose her," she whispered.  "And neither can Lindsey."

Grissom nodded and held her tightly until her tears subsided.

"I'll go get her," she whispered.

Following her inside, Grissom waited by the front door.  Moments later, she returned with a dressed Lindsey.  The little girl looked between her aunt and Grissom.

"It's Mommy.  What happened?"  Tears already were clouding her eyes.

Grissom knelt down to her level.  "She was bitten by a cat."

"I've been bitten by cats before," she countered.

He'd known Lindsey all her life.  He loved her as if she were his own daughter.  This was by far the hardest thing he had ever had to do.  "This cat was sick.  Your Mom is at the hospital right now."

Lindsey threw her arms around his neck, nearly causing him to lose his balance.  "I want to see her," she sobbed.

Looking up at Nancy, Grissom bit back his own tears as she has to turn away from the scene of her niece in so much pain.

**************************

Nick and Sara met up with Warrick in the lab.  Greg was just finishing printing out a report.

Warrick turned to them.  "Anything?"

"Yeah," Sara answered.  "The victim in the dumpster?"

He nodded.  

"Wasn't part of this shootout.  So we have two cases in one here."

"Great."

Nick looked around.  "Where's Grissom?"

"He had to go talk to Lindsey," Warrick quietly responded.

"That poor kid," Sara commented.  "First her father last year and now this."

"She's a strong kid." Warrick added.

Nick grinned.  "Just like her mother."

Greg looked over the reports.  "According to this the guns holding the police-issued bullets were both reported stolen from a small town police station in Idaho.  They had been stolen over two years ago."

"It's something," Nick offered.

"The gun carrying the other bullets does not match any registered weapon in our database."  He looked up.  "The only victim killed with those bullets was the one in the dumpster.  Do you want me to start processing these individually then?"

Warrick thought for a moment.  "Yeah, but just in case they are somehow tied together, keep a comparison of the evidence."  He looked around to make sure they were alone in the lab.  "This is just for you guys.  Grissom wants me to take lead on this case.  I told him we'd cover for him and that right now he needs to focus on Catherine and Lindsey."

They all nodded in agreement.  

"Then I guess we'd better get down to it," said Warrick as he turned to leave the lab.

*******************************

Grissom held Lindsey's hand as they walked down the hallway to Catherine's hospital room.  He had managed to convince the doctor to allow Lindsey in to see her mother even though technically she was not old enough and it was not visiting hours.

Slowly, he opened the door to the room and led Lindsey inside.  She broke away from him and ran over to her mother.

"Mom?"

Catherine's eyes sleepily opened and upon seeing her daughter staring back at her, she opened them fully and immediately mother and daughter embraced.  

Unsure what to do, Grissom remained standing at the doorway until Catherine looked over at him silently thanking him.

He motioned with his head that he would be just outside, giving them some moments of privacy.

The tears flowed down his cheeks as soon as he closed the door behind him.  Lindsey wasn't the only one who couldn't stand to lose Catherine.

********************

When Grissom's beeper went off, he realized he was still sitting outside Catherine's room and had been for the last half hour.  Checking the number, he wiped the dried tears from his eyes and found a payphone.

"Warrick?"

"Grissom, we have… First, how are Lindsey and Catherine?"

"I don't know actually.  I left Lindsey in the room and haven't looked in on them yet."

"Okay.  Well, we may have two murder cases here.  The body in the dumpster was the only one who was killed with the Teflon-coated bullets."

"How are you working it?"

"I have Greg processing the information as two separate cases but told him to keep a comparison just in case they are connected."

Grissom nodded.  "That's good.  I'll be back in shortly."

"I'll catch up with you then."

"And Warrick?"

"Yeah?"

"Good job."

"Thanks but it will still be good to have you both back here.  Tell Catherine we all say hi and wish her the best."

As soon as he hung up, Grissom headed back to her room.  He opened the door quietly and smiled.  Lindsey was lying on the bed beside her mother sleeping soundly.

Catherine watched Grissom as he approached the bed.  She stroked Lindsey's blonde hair as the child slept beside her.   Tears filled her blue eyes.  

He knew that what she wanted to say could not be said with Lindsey in the room.  Gently he woke the girl.  "Lindsey?"

She sat straight up, confused for a moment, then settled upon seeing her mom and Grissom.  "I was hoping it was just a bad dream," she whispered.

"Honey, I'm going to be fine," Catherine said trying to reassure her daughter.  "You have to get to school, though."

"Mom…"

"School's more important than hanging out here.  Besides," she smiled, "You're not really supposed to be here."

"She's right," Grissom added.  "I had to sneak you in."

Lindsey was not humored.  "I want to stay."

"Linds, I'm only here for a few days then I'll be home to bug you to no end again.  I promise."

Tears fell from the child's eyes as she hugged her mother once again.  Slowly, she climbed off the bed.

"I'll take her to school and be back."

Catherine nodded.  "Thank you."  She looked to Lindsey.  "I love you, honey."

"I love you too, Mommy."  Taking Grissom's hand, she followed him out the door.

When the door latched closed, Catherine could no longer hold back her tears and broke down.

Having left Lindsey with a nurse for a few moments, Grissom returned to Catherine's room and stopped short when he walked in.  It terrified him to see Catherine so scared.  Without another thought he was at her bedside holding her in his arms.  "It's going to be alright," he whispered, rubbing her back.  

"Take care of her for me," she sobbed.

Grissom looked at her.  "You're not going anywhere, do you hear me?  You can take care of her yourself."

Catherine managed a small smile.  "She loves you.  In your own way you've been more of a father to her than Eddie ever could have been."

Looking deep into her eyes, Grissom saw only raw truth in her statement.  He ran his fingers through her hair.  "That may be, but she still needs her mother.  So don't you dare even start thinking about deserting her."  He paused.  "I… I have to get her to school but I'll be back."

She nodded and lay back down.  "Thank you."

He smiled at her from the edge of her bed then got up.  Once outside the door, he physically leaned against the wall for support.  Never in the eighteen years he had known her had he ever seen Catherine Willows fall apart.  Wiping away his own tears, he headed back to the nurses' station to pick up Lindsey.

*************************

An hour had passed since Grissom and Lindsey had left.   There was a soft knock on the hospital room door then it slowly opened.  

Catherine had expected Grissom back and was surprised to see her sister there.  "Nancy?"

She ran over and hugged her sister.  "Catherine," she cried.  "I was so worried."   Sitting on the edge of the bed, Nancy looked over all the tubes and IV's.  "It's bad, isn't it?"

Avoiding the question, Catherine took her sister's hand.  "Nan, I need you to promise me something."

Tears quickly filled Nancy's eyes.  "No.  You are not going to do this."

"I'm not planning on going anywhere but if there are complications… You already know you get custody of Lindsey but I need you to promise me that you will make sure Gil remains a part of her life, if she wants him to that is."

"Cat, I…"

"Please," she pleaded.  "He loves her so much and she loves him.  I need to know that in case anything should happen either now or ten years down the line, that you will make sure to do that for me."

Nancy, unable to speak through her tears, merely nodded and embraced her sister once again.

************************

"Wow, you look horrible," Sara stated when she ran into Grissom in the hallway.

"Thank you," he snapped.

"Griss, I didn't…"  She decided to end that line of conversation.  "How is she doing?"

He shrugged.  "So far so good.  What have you got on the case?"

Following him into his office, she sat down.  "I'm guessing you already know it looks like we're dealing with two separate murders."

He nodded.

"They may be connected after all.  I ran some further tests and found that the bullet from our dumpster victim match up with ones used in murders in five other cities, including that small town in Idaho from where the police weapons were stolen."

Grissom stared past her, lost in thought.  

She said nothing more.

They were interrupted by Warrick and Nick quietly walking in.

"How's Catherine doing?" Warrick asked while he and Nick took seats of their own.

"Hanging in there," Sara told them when Grissom remained silent.

The three looked between each other trying to figure out who would tell Grissom.

Finally Warrick spoke up.  "Grissom, you need to get some sleep."  

He still did not respond.

"Grissom!"

"Huh?  Oh, hey.  Sara filled me in.  I think we need to contact the station in Idaho.  Get a list of criminals who may have been imprisoned near there who would have had access to the guns…"

"Already being done," Nick told him.  "Really, go home and get some sleep."

"Or at least sleep at the hospital," Warrick offered know where Grissom would be heading next.

When he didn't argue back, they knew how dire the situation with Catherine must truly be.  

Slowly he nodded.  "Page me with any information."

"We will," Sara told him.  "Do you think we could go see her?"

"Yeah, I'm sure she'd be happy to see someone other than me anyway," he said, forcing a smile.  "Visiting hours are from ten to three."  Looking at his watch, he realized it was only eight-thirty.  "Alright, I'm going to head back to the hospital."  He got up and walked to the door.

"Griss?"  Warrick called out.

He stopped and turned around only to have his car keys thrown at him.

"Thought they might help.  Be careful."  Warrick did not smile.  

"Yeah.  Thanks."

When he left, the three friends once again looked between each other.

"Think he's okay to drive?" Sara asked.

"I hope so," Warrick responded.  His cell phone rang.  After hanging up, he said, "They've got something."

******************************

Grissom had stopped by his condo only long enough to change clothes.  It was almost nine-thirty by the time he entered Catherine's room again.

She was sitting up in bed watching TV.  Turning to him, she smiled.  "Hey."

"Hey yourself."  He handed her a bouquet of flowers he had picked up in the hospital gift shop.

"Thank you, Gil."  Placing them on the table beside her, she asked, "Did Lindsey get to school alright?"

"Yeah, no problems there."  He hesitated before sitting on the edge of the bed.  "You've got a great daughter."

Sadness clouded her eyes.  "I know."

"At least Eddie did one good thing in his life," Grissom commented before realizing what he had said.

"Griss…"

"I'm sorry.  I actually meant it as a compliment to him."

"I know."

They sat staring in silence at each other.  

Catherine turned the TV off and swallowed hard.  "There's something I have to tell you."

Fear gripped him.  Was she giving up on him?  "Cath, don't."

"I talked to Nancy this morning after you left.  I told her…"  She bit her inner cheek to stop the tears.  "I told her that I wanted her to make sure that if anything should ever happen to me… now or later… that I want you to always be a part of Lindsey's life."  She paused, trying to read his expression.  "If that's alright with you, that is."

"You know it is.  But you're not going anywhere.  You're doing fine so far."

"Yeah.  But if nothing else, this whole thing made me realize that anything can happen at any time."

More silence fell between them.

"How's the case going?" she finally asked.

"It's moving along.  They've connected two of the guns back to a police station in Idaho and the third to a number of other killings in other cities.  It's progressing along just fine."

A nurse entered the room carrying a try containing a number of needles.  

Upon seeing them, Grissom looked to Catherine.

"The rabies treatment," she told him.

"I'll, uh…"  He stood up but she reached out and took his hand.

"You don't have to go.  They give the shots in the stomach."

He cringed but understood that was her way of asking him to stay so, keeping hold of her hand, he stood beside her as the nurse administered the shots.

When she finished, Grissom sat on the edge once again.  "Do they hurt?"

She glared at him.  "Stupid question."  Her expression softened.  "Gil, go home and get some sleep, you look exhausted."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that today?" he smirked.

"Because it's true.  Besides, one of those shots contained a high dosage of painkillers so I'll be out in a short time anyway.  I'm alright, really."

"But…"

"They've already been instructed to call you first in case anything does happen.  Please?  Do it for me."

Opening his mouth ready to protest, one look into her eyes told him it was what she really wanted, so he nodded instead.  "But I'll be by later."

She smiled.  "You'd better be."

Leaning over, he kissed her on the cheek and grinned off the surprised, yet happy, look on her face then got up and left.

*********************

Nick and Warrick stood around Sara as she clicked through a number of computer screens.  

"Okay, victim number one, the one in the backroom, was Jordan Grety of Madison, Wisconsin," she told them.  "He was twenty-three and is listed as missing as of four months ago."  Clicking to the next screen, she went on, "Victim number two, the one on the couch, was Hendrick Levington of New Philadelphia, Mississippi."

"Mississippi and Wisconsin?" Nick asked.  "Doesn't seem likely they'd know each other."

Sara continued.  "He was also twenty-three and also listed as missing as of… two months ago.  Victim number three, on the floor in the kitchen, Samuel Yuddler of Spotsylvania, Virginia.  He was twenty-one and… not listed as missing."

"Maybe they met at a college or something," Warrick speculated.  "What about our alley victims?"

"The rat-eaten one was Derrick Brothers of Des Moines, Iowa.  Twenty-two and listed as missing five months ago."

"And the guy in the dumpster?" Nick asked.

"Peter Grambe of Boise, Idaho.  Age thirty-four and not listed as missing."  She pushed her chair back and look at the two men.  "We may have a connection afterall.  But the autopsy report lists Mr. Grambe's death as three days earlier than the other four."

Warrick sat up on a nearby table.  "Which means that he may have been killed out of state and dumped there."

"And he could have been killed and dumped by someone other than the killer of the other four," Nick reminded him.

"But he is from Idaho.  And Boise is not far from where the guns were stolen…" Sara said.

Warrick sighed.  "At least we have names and places now.  I'll give Grissom a call and update him."

***********************

Grissom woke to a loud ringing.  It took him a moment to realize it was the phone.  Having just talked to Warrick, panic filled him.  Catherine.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Grissom?"

"Yes."

"This is Doctor Harrington.  You are listed as being the contact person for Catherine Willows."

His heart sank.  "What's wrong?"

"Her condition has changed.  She has gone into critical.  An infection developed a short time ago and moved quickly through her."

"I'll be right there."  When he hung up, he sat on his bed for a moment hoping it to be all a nightmare.  Placing a quick call to her sister, he asked her not to tell Lindsey what was going on yet.  Then he was out the door.

Once at the hospital, Grissom nearly knocked a few people over while running down the hall to the nurses' station.  "I'm here about Catherine Willows," he told them.

"Mr. Grissom, she's in ICU," one of the nurses' told him sympathetically.  "You can't go in to see her there but… there is a window where you can look in on her."

He couldn't go in?  He couldn't be near her?  "I have to see her," he demanded.

"I'm sorry.  Only family."

"I was supposed to be listed as having permission.  Call Doctor Sulter, he can vouche for me."

The nurse studied him for a moment, then said, "I'll call down and let them know you may go in."

"Thank you."  He then headed to the ICU.

He was taken to her bedside and the nurse left him alone.  Standing still, he stared at Catherine for a moment before walking over to her and taking her hand in his.  "Catherine?"

She didn't move.

"I… I don't know if you are awake or not or if you can even hear me but I'm here.  I'm not going anywhere."   Not letting go of her hand, he pulled over a nearby chair and sat down, continuing to watch her.

A short time later a woman walked in.  "Mr. Grissom?"

He turned but made no effort to get up.  

The woman smiled.  "I'm Doctor Harrington.  I was just coming in to check on Ms. Willows."

"What happened to her?"

Dr. Harrington walked to the other side of the bed.  "An infection is not unusual in a case like hers, though cases like this are quite unusual.  The infection, however, spread so fast we didn't have time to stop it."  Her eyes met Grissom's.  "If she makes it through the next forty-eight hours then the worst should be over."

"If?"

"The infection so far is not reacting to any of the antibiotics we are giving her.  It may take awhile or it may break on it's own but if it doesn't…"

"Why isn't she awake?"

"The combination of the trauma, medication and infection has taken its toll on her.  She's exhausted.  She's not in a coma."

"Is there a phone I can use nearby?  I have to call her sister and daughter."

She nodded, "Yeah, at the desk.  I'll let them know it's okay."  As she walked away, she suddenly stopped and turned back to him.  "She's strong and she has the will to live."

He gave her an appreciative smile, turned back to Catherine and whispered, "I'll be right back."

The nurse walked away to check on her patients and to also give Grissom some privacy.  

"Nancy, it's Gil."

"Catherine?"

"An infection set in.  I'm in the ICU with her right now."

"No," she cried.  

"The doctor said if she makes it through the next forty-eight hours she should be through the worse…"

"But?"

"It's a critical forty-eight hours," he softly said.  "If you'd rather me tell Lindsey…"

"No, I'll do it.  You stay there and make sure she doesn't give up.  I'll be over as soon as I can find a sitter.  And Gil?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for being there.  I know it means a lot to her."

************************

Sara slammed the phone down, causing Nick to jump.  "They are complete morons up there in the Idaho station," she snarled.

"What happened?"

"Apparently women aren't meant to be anything more than housewives," she spat.

Nick grinned.

"I'll wipe that grin right off your face if you're not careful."  She smiled in spite of herself.  "Alright then Mr. Sweet Talking Texas Boy, you call them and see if you can get any information out of them."

"I accept your challenge, Madam," he teased, picking up the phone and dialing the Idaho number.

Warrick walked in.  "Anything from Idaho?"

"Yeah," Sara started.  "They hate women.  But otherwise, I'm sure everything if fine and dandy up there."

Warrick stared at her for a moment as a small smile grew on his lips.

"Don't you start with me too, Warrick, I'm warning you."

Nick hung up grinning.  "Sometimes a little Texas Charm can go a long way."

She turned to him.  "You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope.  Seems our dumpster victim was quite well know up there with the police.  They were never able to arrest him on anything but he did cause quite a bit of trouble.  They told me they were in the process of obtaining a court order to look through his computer when he disappeared.  They suspected he was soliciting eighteen to twenty-five year old males for sex thus making it a form of prostitution in their books."

"And the other victims fall into that category," Sara added.

Nick continued.  "The police also said that many of the young men involved were either drug addicts or in desperate need of cash for one thing or another."

"Desperate for cash, needing a fix.  A lot of people will do things they normally wouldn't in situations like that," Warrick said.

"Looks like we've got a possible motive," Sara added.

"Can we get hold of his computer?" Warrick asked Nick.

"Being packaged up and sent down as we speak."

Sara shook her head.  "I still can't believe you got that out of them that quickly.  I was on the phone with them for twenty minutes!"

"Don't take it personally, Sara," Nick said.  "They aren't used to big city girls up there."

"Whatever."

"They also gave a name as someone we may want to look into," Nick continued.  "A Jim Ashton.  He is twenty-eight and recently escaped from prison up there after spending the last two years in jail for stealing weapons."

Sara's eyes widened.  "Did he know Grambe?"

Nick shrugged.  "They didn't know.  But my thought is, what if Ashton was a victim of Grambe's somehow and went after him?  What if Grambe was soliciting under fall pretenses or something?"

The phone rang and Warrick picked it up while Nick and Sara continued brainstorming.  Upon hanging up, he slowly turned to them.

They stopped.

"What is it?" Sara asked hesitantly.

"Catherine's in ICU."

"Oh, man," Nick moaned.  "Can't she ever get a break?  How serious?"

"Grissom said an infection set in that moved quickly through her body.  The next forty-eight hours are critical."

Sara was surprised to see the smallest glimmer of tears forming in Warrick's eyes.  "I… I have to do something," she said.  "Just standing here will make me crazy.  I'll be in the lab helping Greg out if you hear anything more."

Nick sat on a nearby chair.  "You alright?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"You and Catherine are close."

Warrick smiled.  "Yeah, she's like a sister to me.  Actually I'm closer to her than I am with my own sister."

Nick nodded.  "Why don't you take some time and go by and see her."

"I can't.  I'm heading this and…"

"And all we're doing right now is waiting for the computer to arrive and basic investigation.  An hour won't make that much of a difference."

When Warrick remained silent, Nick added, "You need to see her.  Sara and I are close to her too but you and Grissom, you guys go way back."

"I guess you're right.  I'll be back in an hour but if anything happens…"

"I'll page you."

***************************

Warrick stood outside the room looking in through the window.  Grissom sat beside Catherine's bed holding her hand and talking to her.  Though Warrick couldn't hear what was being said, he was sure if anything could give Catherine more strength it would be Grissom's voice and touch.

Grissom turned and saw Warrick through the window.  Gently he placed Catherine's hand back on the bed and walked out to talk to him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to see…"  His eyes wandered back to Catherine.  "I needed to see for myself."

"How are you doing with the cases?" Grissom softly asked.

"They're coming along."  Warrick returned his attention back to his boss.  "Actually now it's back to looking like one case.  The dumpster victim's computer is being sent down to us.  The police in Idaho believe he was soliciting young men for sex.  Sara, Nick and Greg are working on it.  I just dropped by for a few moments."

"Sounds like you have everything under control.  Maybe you guys won't need me back anyway."

Warrick's eyes locked into his.  "We need both of you back."

Grissom gave him a small smile.

"How's she doing?"

Sighing, Grissom said, "No change.  They said if the antibiotics don't start working within the next couple hours then they probably aren't going to work at all."

"Is she in a coma?"

"No."  He shook his head.  "Just unconscious from the infection and medication."

"Lindsey?"

"Nancy brought her by a little while ago.  She's doing as well as can be expected."

The two men stood in silence watching Catherine through the window.

"Of all the dangers that we know are involved with our job who would have thought a wild cat could do this much damage?" Warrick said.

*******************

The lab received Grambe's computer within three hours and immediately got to work on it.  

Sara gasped.  "He kept a list of all his partners.  There are well over five hundred names here."

"His death certainly wasn't a great loss to society," Nick commented while he skimmed through some folders that had been sent along as well.

Warrick stood over Sara's shoulder.  "Is Ashton listed there?"

"I'm looking… yeah, right here," she said, pointing to the screen.  "Apparently he met up with Ashton a number of times up until Ashton was arrested two years ago."  She clicked again.  "All our other victims' names are listed here too."

"At least we know there is a connection now," Warrick commented.

"Sara, look up the name Trent Briar," Nick told her.

"Um, yeah, found it.  Why?"

Nick looked up from the file.  "Because guess who was Jim Ashton's cellmate in Idaho."

****************************

Nick, Sara and Warrick arrived at the scene and were immediately met by Brass.

"Two victims, male, looks to be self-inflicted," he told them.  "Uh, how's Catherine?"

"She's in ICU," Warrick told him.

He nodded.  They had work to do so personal conversation would have to wait.

"Any ID?" asked Sara as they followed him to the isolated car in the desert.

"The driver was Jim Ashton and his passenger was Trent Briar."

All three stopped.

Brass looked at them.  "Do you know them?"

"You could say that," Nick commented.  

"They were our two main suspects in the five killings from the other night," Warrick finished.

"That explains the note," Brass told them.  "They left a suicide note saying they were sorry for what they did but they wanted to make sure no one else got hurt.  They left no indication as to what they were referring to but… We recovered three weapons in the trunk."

"I'll take them back to the lab and have Greg get started on it," Sara offered.

*********************

Nearly twenty-four hours had passed since Catherine had been taken to ICU.  Grissom's head was resting on the edge of her bed while he still kept hold of her hand.

"Gil?"

He sat up expecting to see a nurse or doctor.

"Gil."

The voice.  He turned to see Catherine smiling up at him.  "Hi."

"You still look tired," she whispered.

"Sleep is overrated," he whispered back, running his fingers through her fever-dampened hair.  "How do you feel?"

"Honestly?  Like hell.   What happened?"

"An infection set in."

She looked around.  "Where am I?"

"Uh, the ICU."

"Lindsey?"

He smiled.  "She was here already.  She's doing okay but will be much happier when her mother is back home.  I'm going to get the doctor.  I'll be right back, okay?"

She nodded.

************************

Warrick and Nick met up with Sara and Greg in the lab just as the results from ballistics came back.

"All three guns match our scene," she told them.  

"But something just doesn't make sense," Warrick thought aloud.

"Why they killed the others.  Why not just Grambe?  The others were victims too," Nick continued.

Sara turned to Greg.  "Is it possible there is a third shooter?"

He shrugged.  "The only prints we got off the guns were those of Ashton and Briar."

Warrick paced the floor.  "Okay, we've got five bodies at that house the other night.  Three young men inside, all shot with the same gun.  We've got two in the alley.  One shot with the second police gun and one shot with a third, up-till-now unknown weapon.  We've got Grambe in the dumpster, shot by the anonymous gun, and apparent sex offender of sorts.  The other four bodies are victims or willing participants in his world."

"And he was killed three days prior to the deaths of the four young men," Nick added.

"We've got two young men, cellmates in prison, one escaped and one released, in possession of the murder weapons.  Both also either victims or willing participants with Grambe.  They would have a motive for killing him, but why the others?  What if they had killed him and it was coincidence that they dumped the body in the same place as the other murders?" Warrick said.

"But Ashton and Briar were in possession of all three weapons," Sara reminded them.  "Which links them to both murders."  She walked over to the large drawing board and began making a diagram, listing Grambe's name at the top.  "We know he is the common denominator in all this."  She drew a line to the names of all six young men.  "He was in direct contact with all the men."  Next she drew a line connecting Briar with Ashton as cellmates.  "But what is the connection with them to the other four men?"

"We know for sure that Ashton and Briar's deaths were suicide.  That has been confirmed in the autopsy," Warrick told them.  "So we can at least rule them out as murder."

"But is there a third killer out there?" Greg asked.

Warrick's pager went off.  "It's Grissom."

Fear gripped all of them as he picked up the phone and dialed.  "Are you sure?  No, I'll tell them."  He hung up but didn't face them.

"Warrick?"  Sara asked.

"She's going to be fine," he finally said, slowly turning around, wiping away a few tears.  "The antibiotics kicked in and the infection is clearing up.  She's awake."

"Yes!" Greg exclaimed.

Nick closed his eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks and Sara couldn't stop smiling.

"Now, I believe we have a case to finish solving," Warrick said with renewed enthusiasm.

************************

Two days had passed since Catherine had recovered.  She sat in her hospital bed surrounded by balloons, stuffed animals and other little gifts from well-wishers.  Lindsey sat on the bed next to her mom flipping channels trying to find something more interesting than CNN.

Grissom opened the door and popped his head in.  "Are you up for visitors?"

A wide grin spread across Catherine's lips.  "Always."

"Good."  He pushed the door all the way opened and was followed in by Warrick, Sara, Nick, Greg and Brass, all bearing yet more gifts.

Lindsey jumped off the bed and ran over to give Warrick a big hug.

"Wow, you said visitors, not a party," she said laughing.

"Oh, we can go if you want," Grissom said ushering the others to turn around and head back out.

"Don't any of you dare leave!"

Lindsey returned to her spot back on the bed as the others each gave Catherine a hug. 

"Missed you," Warrick whispered as he held her tightly.

She smiled at him as he pulled away.  "So to what do I owe this gathering?"

"Hey, you know us, we like any reason to party," Brass said which only made everyone burst out laughing.

"Well, speaking on behalf of the women at work," Sara began, "I would like to say we desperately need you back there."

"The guys are giving you a hard time, huh?"

Nick grinned.  "She's just upset because the Idaho station didn't want to talk to her."

Off Catherine's confused expression, Sara told her,  "I'll fill you in later."

"So how's the case?" Catherine asked.

Grissom looked to Warrick who said to Lindsey, "Hey, Linds, wanna go get some ice cream?"

Giggling, she climbed off the bed.  "This is another one of those not-for-kids conversations I take it."  

The adults all stared at her except for Catherine, who laughed.  "Yes, this would be one of those."

Lindsey shrugged.  "As long as I get ice cream out of it, it's fine with me."  She skipped along behind Warrick.

Grissom shook his head.  "She's getting to be more and more like you everyday."

Catherine wrinkled her nose at him.  "So what is going on?"

"Ask them, they did all the work," Brass said when her eyes settled on him.

"Well, the killers did make it a little easy for us by killing themselves," Sara said.  "The two cases were connected afterall.  The guy in the dumpster was soliciting young men for sex and we found in his computer he was blackmailing each one of them and quite a few didn't want this information made public.  Briar and Ashton took it upon themselves to end it for everyone.  The only thing we couldn't figure out was why Briar and Ashton killed the other four young men."

"That was until Warrick found one file from their time in prison."  Nick continued.  "Brothers, the other body in the alley, was actually working with Grambe in blackmailing everyone.  When Briar and Ashton found out, they found Grambe in Idaho and killed him with the gun we couldn't ID.  At his house they found the two stolen police weapons so took them as well.  They knew Brothers was working out of Vegas so they put Grambe's body in the trunk and headed down here."  He looked to Sarah.

"Once they reached here, they went immediately to the house where Brothers was working from," she picked up.  "He wasn't there but the other three were.  Briar and Ashton spent a day or so with them asking questions and such while waiting for Brothers to return from out of town.  Apparently the other three had not known what all of Grambe's victims looked like because as far as we can tell they didn't realize who they were talking to.  But when Brothers finally returned, he did recognize them.  One of them, it seems, led Brothers out back to prove to him that Grambe was dead and while he did that the other shot the three inside.  Brothers was shot while trying to escape in the alley."

"So there's no third shooter?" she asked amazed.

Sara shook her head.  "Nope."

"Wow."  Catherine yawned.  "Sorry."

"Don't be," Grissom told her.  "You're still recovering."

"You know, I'm sort of craving ice cream now," Nick mentioned.  "Anyone want to join me?"

Sara smiled.  "Sounds good.  Brass?"

"Yeah, sure.  On you guys, right?"

Nick laughed.  "Sure, why not."

After they left, Grissom sat on the edge of her bed.  They became lost in each other's eyes for a moment.  "They are really glad to have you back," he whispered.

"I'm glad to be wanted back," she replied.

They continued to gaze in each other's eyes both knowing what they wanted yet both afraid to take that step.

Slowly he lifted his right hand to caress her cheek.  She turned her head slightly and pressed her lips against the palm of his hand, all the while never breaking eye contact.

He smiled.

She smiled back.

"I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you," he quietly admitted.

"You don't have to know.  I'm still here," she offered.

Sliding his hand from her cheek, he took her hand in both of his and brought it up to his lips where he placed a kiss on her knuckle.  "Next time I promise I'll take any bodies in dumpsters."

Catherine laughed.  "How chivalrous of you."  Her eyes danced.  "Gil…"

He placed a finger on her lips.  "I want us both to be sure… not fear induced or medication induced."

She nodded and he removed his finger from her lips.  She was about to say something when Lindsey and Warrick came back in.  

"Mommy, I saw the most adorable stuffed kitten in the…"

"No kittens!" she stated firmly.

Warrick and Grissom laughed.

"No cats, no kittens stuffed or otherwise," she told her giggling daughter who was once again snuggling up to her.

"I think that is our cue to head out now," Grissom said.  "I'll be back later to pick up the munchkin there."

Lindsey laughed.

Warrick gave Catherine another hug.  "Glad you're okay now."

"Me too," she said hugging him back.

She looked at Grissom as Warrick walked away.  "Thank you for everything."

Much to everyone's surprise, he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek.  "Anytime.  Just don't do it again."

They smiled at each other and, as the men walked out the door, Warrick laughed and Grissom blushed when they heard Lindsey say, "Mommy and Grissom sitting in a tree…."

The End

(Really, this was only supposed to be a short 4 or 5 page story!!!!!)


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